A man who killed his bed-bound mother in a "ferocious and sustained" hammer attack has been jailed for life and told he will serve a minimum of 16 years. Michael Bowen, 35, was found guilty at Winchester Crown Court on Friday of the murder of 65-year-old Janet Bowen.
The court heard that Mr Bowen had hit his mother, who had recently suffered a stroke, over the head and face with a hammer more than 10 times at their home in Maple Gardens, Yateley, Hampshire, in the early hours of 31 December last year. Judge Adam Feest KC stated it was "impossible to imagine the terror that she experienced in the final moments of her life".
Janet Bowen was reliant on others for her care, including her son, following her stroke. Concerned neighbours contacted police after hearing a disturbance, and carers later found her dead at home. Mr Bowen had previously admitted to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, criminal damage, and possession of cannabis, but the jury rejected his manslaughter plea.
Benjamin May from the Crown Prosecution Service said Mr Bowen had launched a "sustained and fatal attack on her in the place she should have been safest". Detective Superintendent Ross Toms, who led the investigation for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said the force's thoughts remain with Janet Bowen's family.